What If This Was Easy? (a Steve Orr Lent reflection)

Sometimes I get stuck.

From time to time, I find myself stumped, unable to resolve a problem. I may have spent several minutes (hours!) attempting to master a means to fix, correct, open, understand, etc. ... and then I recall my “magic” question. I’ve been amazed how just that one change of perspective can produce a happy outcome.

I use it to unjam the logs, to break the impasse of my thoughts. What I am really asking myself is this: am I over-complicating this? Am I subconsciously attempting some complicated approach when a simple one will do (and do better)? Have I gotten in my own way?

Am I making it harder than it needs to be?

Let me be clear: this is not a question about effort. Some things require effort to be done correctly, effectively, successfully ... sometimes, a lot of effort. And I’m not talking about those things in this life that are actually complicated. Rocket science is still well beyond the ken of most of us. But, among those matters with which most of us must deal in our daily lives, it’s been my experience that we tend to over-complicate them.

Often, to our own detriment.

This week’s Lectionary scriptures illustrate the point. The Ten Commandments are anything but complicated. Sure, if we want to, we can make them complicated ... but why do that? Simple commands, straight forward directives. Love and revere God, and no other “gods.” Don’t steal. Don’t murder. Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Don’t covet. Take a day off. Honor your parents. In fact, they are so uncomplicated, Jesus sums them up in just a few sentences at Matthew 22:35-40.

What if this was easy?

The Psalm passage continues the thought that God’s directives for our lives are not only straight forward and actually good for us, but are easily perceived in creation; so obvious that not even words are needed.

What if this was easy?

And the 1st Corinthians passage aims right for heart of the matter. When we rely on the “wisdom” of this world, we over-complicate the truth: God’s wisdom is so simple it appears foolish to people on the outside looking in.

We sometimes find that we are stuck, don’t we? Can’t seem to move forward, can’t seem to back out; can’t resolve that problem; can’t open that pickle jar. Or, maybe a lot more than stuck? Overwhelmed even? Sometimes life appears to be so difficult and so complicated, and no resolution in sight, we want to just throw up your hands and yell, “God, I can’t do this!”

Maybe we’re just asking the wrong question.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Third Sunday in Lent (March 4, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
John 2:13-22

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DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast is still meeting Friday mornings at the Waco “egg and I” restaurant. Look for us in the back. We start at 8:00, and then enjoy an hour of great food, fellowship, scripture, and prayer.

Couldn’t be easier.

Blessings,
Steve

Giant Arrows on the Earth (a Steve Orr Lent reflection)

They’re still out there, you know ... those giant concrete arrows. You can still see them, even though they are quite old.

No, they’re not remnants of some ancient civilization, nor do they point the way to Superman's Fortress of Solitude, and they aren’t evidence of extra-terrestrial landing sites.

These concrete arrows were first placed on the Earth in the 1920's. They were the most visible part of the Transcontinental Airway System, designed to aid Air-mail pilots as they traveled across the United States. Lacking the level of technology we enjoy, today, these pilots could easily get lost. At the time, it was a perfectly reasonable approach to providing a useful navigation aid.

The arrows were painted bright yellow. At the center of each was a tall tower with a rotating beacon boasting a million-candlepower light. So, even though it was possible to see them from the ground, they were designed to be seen, and were best seen, from the air.

At their peak, there were over 1,500 of these "ground beacons" stretching from New York to San Francisco. Day or night, pilots could find their way across the country and back. Their makers intended these arrows to serve as a kind of covenant between themselves and those who had to depend on the arrows for essential, maybe even vital, information.

Today, though, they seem a little simple.

Kind of like rainbows.

After a rain, we see a rainbow arcing across a portion of the sky and feel a little jump of elation, an appreciation of its beauty. Few of us stop to reflect on an essential truth: rainbows are anything but simple.

Without the rain, no amount of sunlight striking our atmosphere could produce a rainbow. For a rainbow to appear high up in the sky, there has to be a brilliant light source and there has to be millions upon millions of rain drops to reflect/refract that light.

To Noah and his family (in this week’s Genesis passage), the appearance of a rainbow was brand new. Before the Flood there had been no rain. Whatever mechanism God used to change our atmospheric composition to bring about that first rain, it remained in place when the flood subsided. And it produced, for the first time, the conditions necessary for a rainbow.

Technically, you can see a rainbow from the air, but it doesn't look quite the same; it can even appear as a circle from certain angles. Where you need to be to see the phenomenon as a bow is on the ground, with rain before you and the sun behind you.

God placed His bow "in the clouds" so that, for all generations, we could be assured that God would never again destroy all flesh by means of a flood.

The rainbow is just one of the covenants God has set between Himself and us ... signs we can see as we travel this spiritual journey on our way to where we are reunited, pointing the way so we don't become lost.

Whether it's bows or arrows, the intent is the same. If you want a successful journey, look for the signs along the way.

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A somewhat different version of this reflection appeared in February 2015.

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If you want to read more on the giant concrete arrows, some of which can still be seen, you could Google them or you could try http://www.citylab.com/work/2015/02/why-is-america-dotted-with-giant-concrete-arrows/385472/?utmsource=GristFB&utm_content=buffere1847&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
First Sunday in Lent (February 18, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=71

Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:9-15
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Lectionary Breakfast meets most Friday mornings at 8:00. We gather at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant (Franklin and New Road, near Outback. Look for us at the back.) We read the week’s scriptures and then dig in for the sustenance.

The food's good, too.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

HUMPTY DUMPTY [ actually ] SAT ON A WALL (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again!

Just a nursery rhyme ... right?

Egg shell and yolk at the base of a stone wall, soldiers standing around looking puzzled?

But what if it really happened?

Turns out there was very large canon mounted high on a town wall in 17th century England. During the (then famous) Siege of Colchester, those seeking Parliamentary rule attacked the walled city because it was a haven for Royalist (those who believed rule should remain with the royals, only).

That canon’s name? Humpty Dumpty.

Apparently, Humpty Dumpty was quite effective as weaponry goes, keeping the Parliamentarians at bay for about a month. Effective, that is, until some clever Parliamentarian thought to fire on the wall just below the canon ... and when the wall caved in, Humpty Dumpty "had a great fall."

There was an attempt by the Royalists ("the King's men") to put HD back into commission, but the damage from the fall was too great. Still, the Royalists held out for another six weeks. But in the end, without that big boy high up on the wall to drive them away, the Parliamentarians prevailed. And I think you know how all that ended up.

Maybe knowing the true story of Humpty Dumpty will make it a bit easier to understand a strange phrase from this week's 2 Kings scripture selection.

Stop and read it, then come back.

You saw it, right? Elisha cries out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" right after Elijah is swept away by the chariot of fire? The "father" part I get: likely Elisha had come to regard Elijah as a father. Their separation by the emissaries of God was sudden, so shouting out "father!" certainly fits in the shock of the moment. Elisha suddenly realized just how valuable Elijah was to him, personally.

But what is this business about Israel's chariots and horsemen?

Most scholars believe Elisha's use of this phrase means he had suddenly realized just how vulnerable the nation of Israel was without Elijah. What Elijah had done to protect and save Israel from its enemies, both within and without —by being God's faithful prophet in such a tumultuous time— was greater than even the great armies of the King.

Nothing, not even "all the King's horses and all the King's men" were enough to equal Elijah’s value to Israel.

Look about you. Any Humpty Dumpty's nearby? Are there men and women you know who so faithfully serve the Lord that our fellowship will be significantly diminished by their passing?

Now is the time to be with them. Don't wait until they've gone home to be with the Lord to suddenly realize just how valuable they are, especially to you.

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A different version of this reflection appeared in 2015 as "All the King's Horses and all the King's Men.”

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Transfiguration Sunday (February 11, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

2 Kings 2:1-12
Psalm 50:1-6
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Mark 9:2-9

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Can you join us Friday morning for Lectionary Breakfast? As usual, we meet at 8:00 at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant (Meeting room just off the main dining room). Our time together is both fun and precious.

If you can't be with us —maybe you're so far away that joining us is impractical— maybe it's time you started your own group like this.

Something to think about.

Enjoy the week!
Steve

The Bogard House Revisited (a Steve Orr Epiphany reflection)

Moonshiners, Al Capone, Prohibition ... A mansion situated deep in the land between the rivers where only the shacks of poor farmers should have been. We'd all heard the stories about the long lost “Bogard House” ... not much more than rumors, really.

Then, one day, we actually found it.

It’s a longish story that I will spare you. Suffice to say that, by the time one of our group found it, “between the rivers” had become The Land Between the Lakes, a modern recreational playground. Long gone were the moonshiners and poor farmers; though some of the shacks still stood along nearly impassable dirt tracks far from the modern highway that traversed it.

It was along those dirt tracks that we traveled that day, dodging pitfalls and uprooted trees, following our friend, wondering which, or if any, of the rumors were true.

And then we came over a rise and suddenly found ourselves staring at a large, multi-story home situated on the banks of the Lake Barkley. It had seen better days, but even then it was impressive. In an area that, before TVA, was known for its poverty, this house would certainly have been a mansion. Someone with some money had lived there.

But, why? Why would someone with money want to live all the way out there in the boonies? As it turned out, many of the stories we had heard were true. Joe Bogard, revered among his neighbors as the "King of Moonshiners," had lived there with his family. Moonshine was produced there and was sold all over the Midwest, including to certain folk up Chicago way. The rumor that airplanes landed on a strip in front of the house, loaded up with hooch, and flew it back to Al Capone? Well, we could never find any evidence of that.

But we did find four secret rooms.

As I say, though, the story of that day is longish. So we will step away for the moment, pausing only to note this: we had heard of that house, stories of other peoples from other times, and then we came to know it ourselves.

Much like the questions in this week's Isaiah selection:

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV)

None of this was news to the people of Israel. They had been hearing of God all their lives. There was a long, documented history of God doing amazing things among their nation. And yet, they had let what they heard cease to be what they knew. They had become theological amnesiacs. God had become more of a rumor to them than a reality.

God's prophets spoke the message He gave them. Those words from Isaiah? Those are the words of God, spoken to His people. They are about His kingdom and they are not rumor. You can put your faith in them. So, seek it, ask for it, knock doors until you gain entry.

Because, one day, you will come over a rise and there it will be.


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A version of this reflection appeared in February 2015.

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For more of my memory about that day at The Bogard House, there is an incomplete memoir at: http://write-craft.blogspot.com/2011/05/in-development-bogard-house-by-steve.html

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Photo: Sadly, that’s not a photo of the Bogard House. Maybe there’s one out there, somewhere, but I’ve not yet found it. This house, situated on Lake Winnipesaukee, looks a lot like it, though. See more of it at https://www.nhlakesrealty.com/newest-listings-on-lake-winnipesaukee/

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (February 4, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=64

Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147:1-11, 20c
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39
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Friday mornings are times of exploration and discovery at Lectionary Breakfast. We delve into God’s word to find out for ourselves just what is real. Join us at 8:00 at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant for an hour like no other.

Blessings,
Steve

The Best Laid Plans (a Steve Orr Epiphany reflection)

"The best laid schemes of mice and men go oft astray" wrote poet Robert Burns. My experience agrees.

It hasn't put me off scheming, completely, but at times I wonder why I bother. I plan, organize, time-manage, equip, assemble, deploy, and, in some cases, accessorize; not to mention hurry, fret, placate, rearrange, orient, and clock-watch. But, it just doesn't quite work out. To paraphrase German military strategist Field Marshall Moltke: "No plan survives actual contact with the enemy."

I don't think either of these men would want their thoughts misconstrued. Moltke was really saying "fret not;" and rather, to always plan well, recognizing you just cannot anticipate everything. Have enough contingencies that you can be creative in your response when the inevitable breakdown occurs. In fact, he not-so-famously also said, "Strategy is a system of expedients."

And Burns was apologizing to a mouse.

He recognized the fact that disappointment often follows the realization that our plans are not unfolding as we intended. Burns is sorry his plowing has destroyed the mouse's home, but he is also a little envious that the mouse can focus only on the present, while Burns regrets the past and fears the future.

I've had good reason, from time to time, to reflect on the philosophies of these two men. I had a scheme or two go astray, more than one plan expire in the face of reality. These things happen to us, don't they?” Frankly, all the planning in the world can't prevent them.

We can and should make plans.

But we need to be ready to "roll with the punch" because the punch is going to come. We will have to make a course correction, to put it in nautical terms. And beyond the "what" of that creative response is something perhaps even more important: the "how."

We are free to choose any solution that satisfies us.

We could just throw up our hands and leave. Let's face it: if you don't feel angry at the unfolding events, the other go-to choice is self-blame followed by surrender. And speaking of anger, we can, as my Great Aunt Vera used to say, "throw a hissy fit." It's emotionally gratifying and, conveniently, usually shifts the blame from ourselves to someone else. Most of us think all of our options lie on a continuum between these two poles: surrender or strike out at someone else; flight or fight. Most people don't care to consider another response, to step outside the usual.

Freedom allows them to leave it at that.

But, to sum up the 1st Corinthians 8 passage: God does care when you use your freedom carelessly, especially as it affects those who may not be as strong of will or certainty as we are. And how are we to know who is "strong enough" to not be impacted by our choices, actions, statements?

Therein lies the challenge. Paul offers a solution to the believers in Corinth. You might not like it, though.

You might have to change your best laid plans.

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A different version of this reflection appeared in 2012 as “Burns Day.”

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Photo: https://remadepreacher.com/spiritual-battle-plan/

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (January 28, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Psalm 111
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Mark 1:21-28

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Join us Friday morning for Lectionary Breakfast (Waco “Egg and I” Restaurant; Outside door bear the back). We start at 8:00 and wrap up around 9:00. The food is tasty and the fellowship is sweet.

We have a plan, but we’re flexible.

Blessings,
Steve

A Life Lesson While Learning to Drive (a Steve Orr Epiphany reflection)

When the light turned green, I just sat there.

It’s was less than a month to my 16th birthday. Mom had become my driving instructor (this was in the days before mandatory Driver’s Ed). Dad was supposed to be my instructor, but ...

On our first (and only) outing (taken on country roads to limit exposures to other vehicles), Dad spent most of the drive clinging to the passenger door and hissing through his teeth. While he never spoke to me about it, directly, apparently my every action frightened him. He told Mom she would have to teach me. I was not sad about that development. Who can think with a hisser in the car?

So, Mom took over. After a few more country roads, she decided I was ready for town streets. Much of it is a blur, but I clearly recall this: sitting at that green light. Don’t get the wrong idea; I was not frozen by insecurity, uncertainty, or fear. I sat at that green light because my mother told me to.

It went like this. As we approached the traffic signal, it turned red. So, of course, I brought the car to a halt. I was feeling pretty good about it all, that being my first time to stop at a traffic signal. And then, the odd thing: Mom looked over and said, "When the light turns green, don't go. Wait until I tell you."

I remember being puzzled. I had read my driver's handbook. I knew we were supposed to stop on red and go on green. In fact, not only was it expected, it was my right. When the light is green, I have the right of way. But, being the dutiful son —and having no desire to be cast off to some other relative for the balance of my training— I obeyed her ... waiting at that intersection for just about one second longer.

A car ran the red light.

It cut straight through the space we would have occupied if I had asserted my rights and driven forward!

I learned a life lesson that day. I call it "jumping the green," my phrase for those actions we take simply because we can. They are allowed, so we do them. But, as was so stunningly demonstrated to me that day late in my 15th year, such actions, though allowed, may not always be the wisest.

Something to think about as we contemplate this week’s passage from 1st Corinthians.

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A slightly different version of this reflection appeared in January 2012 as “Jumping the Green.”
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Photo: Steve Orr
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Second Sunday after the Epiphany (January 14, 2018)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20)
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
John 1:43-51
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Lectionary Breakfast is our time to explore, in light of the teachings of scripture, those kinds of allowed-but-not-always-wise choices life regularly tosses our way. Join us Friday morning at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant at 8:00. It’s an interesting hour of Bible, discussion, prayer, food, and laughter.

Blessings,
Steve

Following the Star to ... Nazareth?! (a Steve Orr Epiphany reflection)

The Wise Men never made it to Bethlehem.

Wait. What?!

In the Sony animated Christmas film, The Star (which was delightful), some talking animals, following several adventures, eventually join the three Wise Men to greet the newborn Jesus lying in a feed trough (manger) in a Bethlehem stable.

But, talking animals aside, is that what really happened?

Most retellings of the Nativity story follow the same basic plot line as the Sony version: three Wise Men (sometimes called Magi or Kings) travel “from the East” (that is, east of Israel), following a star that, they say, heralds the birth of “the King of the Jews (Messiah).” They head first to Jerusalem, but find only the current king, Herod.

Everyone's interested to know who and where this new King is, especially Herod. So he gathers Israel’s scholars, and they all agree Bethlehem is where the Messiah will be born. The Wise Men then leave Jerusalem and follow “the star” to that stable in Bethlehem where they find Jesus still in the feed trough and bestow their respective gifts.

But, some scholars disagree.

They point out that scripture clearly states (see this week’s Matthew selection) the Wise Men only enter the story “after Jesus was born.” Further, when they finally meet Jesus, it is in a house ... no mangers or animals (talking or otherwise) are present.

There are those who argue that, according to Jewish Law, Jesus was presented at the Temple about 40 days after His birth. This was required for all firstborn sons. They point to the second half of Luke chapter 2 which supports their view and also contains this: “When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.” (Luke 2:39)

So. Could the Wise Men have followed the star to Nazareth instead of Bethlehem? Maybe. There is no real way for us to know. Scripture only tells us they followed the star to a house where “On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage.” (Matthew 2:11)

Wait. What happened to the stable?

I don't suppose we'll ever know. All we really know is that at some point after Jesus was born —days? weeks?— wise men came on pilgrimage from the east based on what they saw in the heavens and they worshiped Jesus.

In other words: some people learned about Jesus and felt they should seek Him out. Leaving behind all that was familiar to them, they began a spiritual journey, following God’s lead. When they found Jesus, they worshiped Him.

Sounds like something anyone could do ... anywhere.

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A very different version of this reflection appeared in January 2013 as “A Little Epiphany of my Own.”
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Image credit: http://www.freebibleimages.org/photos/wise-men/
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Epiphany of the Lord (January 6, 2018)

Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12


Link to table of readings for the season of Epiphany: https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//lections.php?year=B&season=Epiphany

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The 12 days of Christmas end on January 5th. Lectionary Breakfast meets that morning at the Waco “Egg and I” Restaurant for about an hour. We start at 8:00 and enjoy an hour of prayer, food, discussion, fellowship, and laughter.

No drumming drummers expected ... well, not 12 of them, anyway.

Blessings,
Steve